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Coolio faces crack, battery charges

The Grammy-winning Rap star, Coolio, was charged Tuesday with possession of crack cocaine and battery following his arrest Friday at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Rapper Leon Ivey Jr., better known after his stage name Coolio, was arrested at the airport after authorities said they found the drug and a crack pipe in his luggage.

The 45-year-old artist was charged with a single felony count of possessing cocaine base, commonly known as crack, and a misdemeanor charge for the pipe.

The battery charge was included because the Rap star grabbed an airport screener’s arm to prevent the search of his luggage, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Coolio, who shot to fame with his 1995 “Gangsta’s Paradise,” faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison if convicted and is scheduled to appear in court on April 3.